This is a response we received from a Samara follower located in Georgetown, Ontario, shortly after the release of The Real Outsiders. (Portions of the comment have been edited and the author's identity protected.)

"Alison: I have heard you on CBC a couple of times and seen you on TVO. I think the work you are doing is important. I live in Georgetown and am very involved in politics here, I don't really know why because it is so very frustrating. There is such an incredible degree of apathy...I have been actively involved in the past 3 elections - 2 federal and 1 provincial. What I see in my home riding is a highly uninformed, apathetic, sometimes rude and belligerent constituency, and it is extremely difficult to deal with this at the door, in phone discussions and with mail-outs. It seems almost impenetrable. I think you are wise to be looking at this issue of 'the uninvolved'. Something I hear constantly is that politicians are liars and crooks - there is considerable truth to this so it is difficult to debate. Two major criticisms I have of government at all levels are: 1. everything has become very impersonal - everyone wants you to use e-mail no matter what, 2. huge sums of taxpayer money are wasted and are spent on projects going in one direction - then there is a change of government, a new direction is chosen and everything that has been done is discarded. We have to find a way to stop doing this - there needs to be some continuity of vision and planning. Anyway keep up the good work."

Do you share any of the same frustrations in your riding? What do you think should be done to make communication between politicians and constituents more personal or to ensure greater continuity of vision in government planning?